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Police moved around 04:00 on Wednesday night to a major rapid clay landslide in a residential area in downtown Ask en Gjerdrum in Romerike in Viken County.
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We know this about the landslide at Gjerdrum
The number that has not been counted has been reduced from 26 to 21 people. These are people who live at addresses within the area of the landslide.
– Five people have been counted. We have been in contact with them.
– Could he be dead?
– I don’t want to speculate on that, says task leader Roger Petersen at Police East.
Now they are looking for people in the area with heat search cameras.
– They will see people if you have an extended arm. If you’re in the middle of a house, it can be difficult to find them by helicopter, he says.
Task leader Roger Pedersen says 21 people have not been counted.
Photo: Cicilie S. Andersen / NRK
Solberg is on the spot
At 2 pm, Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Justice Minister Monica Mæland (H) came to the culture house in Gjerdrum to receive a letter from the event.
– A terribly painful experience to see such a landslide and so many have not been taken into account. Thank you very much for the work you do. I know it is demanding and difficult for everyone who works.
Solberg will speak to the press when he has finished his briefing.
Erna Solberg has arrived at the accident site in Gjerdrum.
Photo: Jil Yngland / NTB
700 evacuees
One person has been taken to Ullevål hospital with breathing problems. The condition was previously described as serious, but now it should go well with the person.
In addition, four people with minor injuries were transferred to Ahus. They cool after resting on clay masses. Five people were also taken to the emergency room, police said.
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Evacuated: – Everything was one on top of the other in one big mass.
Around 700 have been evacuated in Gjerdrum.
– I haven’t spoken to you, but being picked up by helicopter is dramatic. They are well cared for, Petersen says.
Rescuers are working in the area where the landslide occurred in Gjerdrum early Wednesday morning.
Photo: Cicilie Andersen
Rescuers are using Sea King helicopters to rescue people from the avalanche.
Photo: Cicilie S. Andersen / NRK
The emergency services have sent large resources to the accident site in Gjerdrum
Photo: Cicilie S. Andersen / NRK
The eastern police district encourages evacuees to visit Gjerdrum ungdomsskole to register. Police write in a press release that rescue work is in full swing, with a focus on saving lives.
Among the largest landslides of recent times
The landslide is among the largest of its kind to occur in Norway in recent times, according to NVE.
The landslide has an extension of 300 x 700 meters. The starting area is additional.
The cause of the landslide is not yet known.
– We are not in full control, says regional leader Toril Hofshagen.
WATCH THE VIDEO: Here’s what it looks like at the Gjerdrum landslide site. Photo: Jenny Mikkelsen and Lene Margrethe Moe Skoglund.
Expand the evacuation area
Earlier, the police announced in a press release that several were missing. That is not true at the moment.
“Although the police do not have any reports that someone is missing, we assume that there are people missing in the area of the landslide.”, the police write on its pages at 11:30 pm
– There may be people in collapsed buildings and houses. Hard work is being done in the landslide area, says Task Leader Roger Pettersen in the Eastern Police District.
– The police describe this as a disaster, he says.
At least 14 addresses are affected.
– In these addresses there are different housing units, there may be different apartment numbers and so on. Now we are mapping this and working to find out who lives in the different apartments, says Pettersen.
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At a press conference, police say they are now expanding the evacuation area after the landslide to be safe. This happens after a geological assessment has been done.
– We do not know when we will be able to physically enter the area. We just have to relate to that and listen to the experts. Since we are informed that we can let our rescue teams in, we will, says Pettersen.
Around 700 have been evacuated after the landslide in Gjerdrum.
Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB
Received dramatic messages
Pettersen says the police have received several dramatic messages from area residents.
– We have received messages from desperate people who have called the police emergency phone and said that the whole house is in motion and that they are under roof tiles and insulation also more. Then there are dramatic messages and the situation is serious, he says.
Solberg: – It hurts to see
Currently, the police do not have an overview of how many houses were affected by the landslide. There are different types of houses and accommodation units in the area.
– Several houses have been taken in a residential area, but we do not know how many, says operations manager Kjetil Ringseth in the East Police.
Currently, the police do not have an overview of how many houses were affected by the landslide. There are different types of houses and accommodation units in the area.
See the before and after photos of the landslide in Gjerdrum.
– Several houses have been taken in a residential area, but we do not know how many, says operations manager Kjetil Ringseth in the East Police. Based on photos from the site, it is estimated that at least eight houses, for both two and four people, were taken over by the landslide. This is not information confirmed by the police.
On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) commented on the incident on her Twitter account.
Several hospitals have been preparing for emergencies, but have now lowered their level of preparedness.
All emergency services are on site after a landslide in downtown Ask.
Photo: Vivian Stensrud / NRK
– A disaster
The police are present with patrol cars and police helicopters. Ambulances, fire, defense, civil defense and volunteer personnel are also available.
– It’s serious when we describe it as a disaster. It is a large landslide area and many homes. We have some photos of the area, but it is dark and the working conditions are difficult. We look forward to getting more general information when the power comes out, Operations Manager Pettersen told NRK on Wednesday morning.
Due to the danger of landslides, the police cannot enter everywhere.
The landslide has occurred at Ask, which is located at Gjerdrum in Romerike.
The Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy (NVE) has geologists on site who are working to get an overview of the landslide.
– They’re working to find out if it’s safe and get inside, says Ringseth.
Romerike has a large fast clay presence and there have been many landslides in the area over the years. But what caused the landslide is currently unknown.
The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) also dispatched rapid clay landslide experts to the landslide site.
– Experts review all previous geotechnical studies and reports that have been conducted on the site to get an overview of soil conditions, says NGI Communications Manager Øydis Ulrikke Castberg.
According to NVE, similar large landslides are unlikely to occur elsewhere in Romerike now.
Mayor Anders Østensen is desperate about the situation.
Photo: Nadir Alam / NRK
The main rescue center sent a rescue helicopter from Rygge, which is in the area now.
– Also, we have a Sola rescue helicopter that has moved. Our most important task is to find out if there are people in the landslide area and possibly help them and transport them to the hospital, says rescue operator Ståle Jamtlid from the Main Rescue Center to NRK Nyhetsmorgen.
According to the Armed Forces Forum, the Armed Forces assist with bell helicopters and associated fuel vehicles to be able to refuel in the area.
– People are in shock
The municipality has put crisis personnel. Gjerdrum ungdomsskole functions as a temporary collection point and evacuees are transported to the Olavsgård hotel.
– So far we have filled three buses. There are more than 150-200 people who have been evacuated. People have been rescued by helicopter and some have been sent by ambulance, said Mayor Anders Østensen in NRK Nyhetsmorgen.
Describe the situation as very dramatic.
– This is very demanding. People are in shock. It is a great and grave disaster.
Gjerdrum has 6,800 inhabitants. At Ask, where the landslide has occurred, there are approx. 5000 people.
Fylkesvei 120 is currently closed from Åsenhagen, just north of Skedsmokorset and towards Ask. Gjerivegen east of Ask, as well as Hexebergveien and Frognerlinna are also closed, according to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.
